Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Minority Groups: India

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of statements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding minority communities in India including Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Dalits, and how in the light of those statements Prime Minister Modi’s visit to London will enhance community cohesion.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: India is a country with a strong history of democracy and pluralism, which guarantees human rights within its constitution. During the press conference with the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), Prime Minister Modi was clear in his commitment to and respect for India’s core values of tolerance and freedoms, as well as reaffirming the importance of social harmony and inclusive development.Mr Modi repeated these messages in his address in Parliament and at Wembley Stadium, where 60,000 British Indians of all faiths turned out to welcome Prime Minister Modi to the UK.

India: State Visits

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, during the visit to London by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they will raise with him (1) the issue of gender-based violence in India, and (2) the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts, the powers they grant to the Indian Armed Forces in Kashmir and the north eastern states of India, and related immunities from prosecution.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are committed to tackling violence against women and girls around the world and we work closely with the Indian government and international partners on this important issue. Prime Minister Modi’s speech to 60,000 members of the Indian Diaspora at Wembley Stadium also referred to the importance of ensuring safe and secure work places for women.We are aware of concerns regarding allegations of immunity from prosecution for Indian armed forces personnel under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. There is a mechanism which allows people to request that the Indian government investigate such concerns. Any allegations of human rights abuses must be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what systems they have in place to monitor the use of military equipment licensed for export to Saudi Arabia to establish whether or not that equipment has been used to violate international humanitarian law in Yemen.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government monitors the situation in Yemen closely, including reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). We take these reports very seriously. We have raised our concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities, who have provided assurances to us that they are complying with IHL. We continue to engage with them on those assurances, and we urge all sides to investigate such incidents fully. The Ministry of Defence continues to monitor alleged incidents internally, using available information, which in turn informs our overall assessment of IHL compliance in Yemen. We are offering Saudi Arabia advice and training to demonstrate best practice and to help ensure continued compliance with International Humanitarian Law.With respect to UK arms exports to Saudi Arabia, all applications for strategic export control licences for military and dual-use goods are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the Criteria), in a manner consistent with the UK’s international obligations. A licence will not be issued for export of items to any country if to do so would be inconsistent with any mandatory provision of the Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of IHL.The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the Criteria. Our export licensing system allows us to respond to changed circumstances and new information as and when necessary. The principle of responsible export controls is fundamental for the Government.

Government Communications Centre

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what files they hold at Her Majesty's Government Communications Centre, and what are their plans to make the files held there available to the public during this Parliament.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) archive records are held by the FCO rather than Her Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC). Most of these archive records are held in the FCO main archive at Hanslope Park in Buckinghamshire, which houses approximately 1.2 million files. The FCO has published its archive file inventory and the review programme for its files. The FCO is committed to complying with the Public Records Act and to full transparency with respect to our record holdings.HMGCC, which is also at Hanslope Park, is one of the Government’s science and technology establishments, responsible for ensuring that the Government’s communications systems in the UK and around the globe are effective, reliable and secure.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Contract Cleaning

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that the FCO's cleaning contractor, Interserve, pays the London Living Wage to its employees.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Interserve is responsible for setting the terms and conditions of its staff, including pay. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office supports its contractors in paying the London and UK Living Wage when it is affordable and does not cost jobs, however this should be for individual employers to decide. Interserve will have to pay its staff the National Living Wage from April.

UN Support Mission in Libya

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many representatives were present at the recent UN Support Mission in Libya conference in London.

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many women were present as representatives at the recent UN Support Mission in Libya conference in London.

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they took to ensure that women’s voices were included at the recent UN Support Mission in Libya conference in London.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Over 150 representatives attended the UK and UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) meeting held on 19 October in London on international support for a new Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). 36 women accepted the invitation to attend the meeting, drawn from 40 countries, UN Agencies, and international bodies. The UK recognises that female participation in politics and civil society is an essential component of restoring stability in Libya, and our Libya Office in Tunis, working closely with UNSMIL, made a particular effort to ensure female Libyan participation. Four of the 17 independent Libyan delegates were women. The meeting was co-chaired by Jane Marriott, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Directorate in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Mileometers: Fraud

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to reduce the rate of odometer mileage fraud and increase conviction rates of those who fraudulently adjust mileage and sell on adjusted vehicles.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Advice on second hand car purchases features regularly in consumer awareness campaigns led by Trading Standards and the Citizen’s Advice Service. Consumers should call the Citizen’s Advice consumer helpline, which receives its funding from Government, for advice on fraud and to report alleged offences of misleading advertising or mis-selling.The Citizen's Advice Service will refer clear breaches of consumer law to Trading Standards and advise on reporting suspected fraud to ‘Action Fraud’, the national fraud database led by The City of London Police. ‘Action Fraud’ has received 67 complaints of mileage fraud since 2010 and actively campaigns for more fraud cases to be reported, with viable lines of enquiry, to equip the police to convict the culprits.

Ministry of Justice

Secure Training Centres

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which companies were invited to tender or to participate in dialogues for the 2015 contracts for (1) the running of Medway secure training centre, and (2) the running of Rainsbrook secure training centre.

Lord Faulks: The companies that were invited to tender for the running of the Medway secure training centre were:G4S Care and Justice Services (UK) Limited (now trading as Inspiring Futures);MTCnovo Limited;Sodexo Justice Services;Diagrama Foundation; andIngeus UK Limited.The companies that were invited to tender for the running of the Rainsbrook secure training centre were:G4S Care and Justice Services (UK) Limited (now trading as Inspiring Futures);MTCnovo Limited;Sodexo Justice Services;Diagrama Foundation; andIngeus UK Limited.Tenders to run Medway and Rainsbrook secure training centres were evaluated using a standard approach balancing quality and price.

Council Tax: Unpaid Taxes

Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years, what was the estimated cost to the public purse of people being imprisoned for defaulting on payment of their council tax.

Lord Faulks: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The department routinely publishes average costs per prisoner and prison place based on actual net resource expenditure for each private and public sector prison, and in summary form the whole of the prison estate in England and Wales on an annual basis after the end of each financial year. These can be found on Gov.uk.

The Lord Chairman of Committees

Peers: Attendance

Lord Marlesford: To ask the Chairman of Committees which peers who were Members of the House of Lords throughout the 2014–15 parliamentary session attended on fewer than 25 per cent of sitting days, indicating in respect of each peer the number of days attended.

Lord Laming: The House sat for 126 days in the 2014/15 Session and therefore members needed to attend at least 32 times to reach an attendance rate of 25%. For the purposes of this answer: an attendance is counted as an attendance in the Chamber, in Grand Committee, in a Select Committee or a vote in the division lobbies.The following members attended on fewer than 32 days. The figures do not include members who joined part way through the Session, members who died or retired part way through the session, or members who were disqualified or on leave of absence throughout the Session. Some of the Members listed were unwell and have since died, and some took leave of absence in the next Session. In discharging their parliamentary duties members of the House of Lords can draw substantially on experience and expertise gained outside Parliament. Therefore members may devote considerable time to maintaining and increasing that knowledge.Members who took leave of absence for part of the Session and attended fewer than 25% of total days that they were eligible to attend:Days attendedTotal sitting days that member was eligible to attend.Dixon, L.032Mogg, L.035Janner of Braunstone, L.036Hutton, L.1109Brooks of Tremorfa, L.227Evans of Parkside, L.235Thomas of Walliswood, B.341Other members who attended fewer than 32 times:Days attendedGrabiner, L.0Healey, L.0Inge, L.0Mayhew of Twysden, L.0Neill of Bladen, L.0Saville of Newdigate, L.0Soulsby of Swaffham Prior, L.0Archer of Weston-Super-Mare, L.1Baldwin of Bewdley, E.1Browne of Madingley, L.1Goldie, B.1King of Lothbury, L.1Peel, E.1Weidenfeld, L.1Williamson of Horton, L.1Bell, L.2Cameron of Lochbroom, L.2Campbell of Loughborough, B.2Ezra, L.2Falkender, B.2Malloch-Brown, L.2Turner of Ecchinswell, L.2Wolfson of Aspley Guise, L.2Alliance, L.3Burns, L.3Carter of Barnes, L.3Heseltine, L.3Lloyd-Webber, L.3Sacks, L.3Tombs, L.3Sharman, L.4Parkinson, L.4Bamford, L.5Coe, L.5Feldman, L.5London, Bp.5Smith of Kelvin, L.5Waldegrave of North Hill, L.5Wilson of Dinton, L.5York, Abp.5Collins of Mapesbury, L.6Freyberg, L.6Fritchie, B.6Guthrie of Craigiebank, L.6Williams of Oystermouth, L.6Wolfson of Sunningdale, L.6Haughey, L.7Rogers of Riverside, L.7Stevenson of Coddenham, L.7Winchester, Bp.7Young of Graffham, L.7Darzi of Denham, L.8Kestenbaum, L.8Nickson, L.8Rotherwick, L.8Chelmsford, Bp.9Hall of Birkenhead, L.9Myners, L.9Renwick of Clifton, L.9Richards of Herstmonceux, L.9Bristol, Bp.10Rix, L.10Browne-Wilkinson, L.11O'Donnell, L.11Vallance of Tummel, L.12Carrington, L.12Browne of Ladyton, L.12Drayson, L.12Glendonbrook, L.12Green of Hurstpierpoint, L.12Leach of Fairford, L.12Sheffield, Bp.12Currie of Marylebone, L.13Hattersley, L.13Macfarlane of Bearsden, L.13Mandelson, L.13Ryder of Wensum, L.13Sassoon, L.13Truro, Bp.13Blackwell, L.14Canterbury, Abp.14McCluskey, L.14Tordoff, L.14Davies of Abersoch, L.15Hogg, B.15Leitch, L.15Neuberger, B.15Tanlaw, L.15Willoughby de Broke, L.15Falconer of Thoroton, L.16Hardie, L.16Haskins, L.16Montagu of Beaulieu, L.16Palumbo of Southwark, L.16Saatchi, L.16Stair, E.18Levene of Portsoken, L.18Edmiston, L.18Imbert, L.18Joffe, L.18Worcester, Bp.18Birmingham, Bp.19Kalms, L.19Lichfield, Bp.19Owen, L.19Patten of Barnes, L.19Young of Old Scone, B.19Feldman of Elstree, L.20Livingston of Parkhead, L.20Smith of Leigh, L.20Allan of Hallam, L.21Chadlington, L.21Chandos, V.21Durham, Bp.21Leicester, Bp.21Portsmouth, Bp.21Greenfield, B.22Macdonald of River Glaven, L.22Valentine, B.23Home, E.23Howard of Lympne, L.23Montgomery of Alamein, V.23Rochester, Bp.23Richardson of Calow, B.24Rosslyn, E.24Stern of Brentford, L.24Alli, L.25Magan of Castletown, L.25Puttnam, L.25Cullen of Whitekirk, L.26Levy, L.26Mar and Kellie, E.26Moore of Lower Marsh, L.26Palumbo, L.26Walker of Gestingthorpe, L.26Manningham-Buller, B.27Fellowes of West Stafford, L.27Turnbull, L.28Carswell, L.29Sugar, L.29Goldsmith, L.30Coventry, Bp.30Walker of Aldringham, L.30Cohen of Pimlico, B.31Judge, L.31Krebs, L.31Shaw of Northstead, L.31Sheldon, L.31

Hereditary Peers: By-elections

Lord Trefgarne: To ask the Chairman of Committees how much has been paid to Electoral Reform Services for their supervision of each hereditary peers by-election since the start of the 2014–15 session in the House of Lords.

Lord Laming: The table below shows the date of the count of, those eligible to vote in the by-election and the amount paid to Electoral Reform Services in respect of each by-election since the start of the 2014–15 session.Date of countThose eligible to vote  in the by-electionAmount paid to Electoral Reform Services22 October 2014All members of the House£2,37010 December 2014Crossbench hereditary members£9503 February 2015Crossbench hereditary members£9507 July 2015Crossbench hereditary members£95016 September 2015Conservative hereditary members£950The by-election in October 2014 involved the manning of a polling station for a day.Amounts are exclusive of VAT. The table does not include two recent by-elections in respect of which Electoral Reform Services has provided services but not yet been paid.

Ministry of Defence

Iraq: Military Intervention

Baroness Jolly: To ask Her Majesty’s Government with how many Iraqi interpreters the armed forces have contracted since the start of military operations in Iraq in September 2014.

Earl Howe: Ministry of Defence interpreter requirements in Iraq have been met through a third party service contract since September 2014. All seven Iraq Interpreters supplied by the contractor to date are British Citizens.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Motor Vehicles: Litter

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 10 November (HL3150) about littering, when they expect to (1) start, and (2) complete, the process of seeking the views of local authorities about the size of the fine, the form and content of the penalty notice and exemptions to the keeper's liability, and other details that need to be finalised before they implement section 54 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: As set out in our manifesto, we will review the case for increasing the fines for littering, and will begin a consultation on this later this year. The outcome of this work will inform the potential level of any civil penalty for littering from a vehicle.We plan to begin working with councils early next year to understand better their current enforcement practices and resources, and the barriers to effective enforcement. This will help us to consider the practicalities of implementation of any new regulatory approach (including any necessary exemptions to keepers' liability). It will also help us to assess the new burdens on councils that would be associated with establishing a new civil penalties regime. Appropriate funding to cover any new burdens would have to be agreed before any regulations can be made.

Food: Waste

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to make it cheaper and easier for food businesses to donate surplus food to charities rather than dispose of it via anaerobic digestion.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: We have taken action to ensure that more surplus food is redistributed to people before being put to any other use through our voluntary agreements with the grocery and hospitality sectors. If surplus food cannot be prevented, the next best option is to ensure it is redistributed for human consumption. Signatories to the Courtauld Commitment, which includes UK retailers and food manufacturers, have reported a 74% increase in food redistribution between 2012 and the end of 2014 and we expect it to increase further.In January this year the Secretary of State for Defra and the Minister for Civil Society brought together key players from retail, food manufacturing and redistribution organisations to agree new actions to further increase levels of food redistributed. A working group is driving this forward to waste less and redistribute more. The Group is developing a partnership model to provide a consistent framework for providers and recipients of surplus food to reach agreement on working together. Research has also been commissioned from the Waste and Resources Action Programme, which will identify where and why waste and surpluses occur in the food chain to identify what action can be taken to increase waste prevention and redistribution.There will always be some unavoidable food waste. The Government’s Anaerobic Digestion Strategy is in place to reduce the amount of organic material going to landfill and drive the waste that is produced into energy recovery or recycling.

Dog Fighting

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider introducing stronger sentencing powers against those involved in illegal dog fighting.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government recognises the seriousness of offences involving illegal animal fights. We will look to increase the maximum sentence when a legislative opportunity arises.

Home Office

Entry Clearances

Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) parents of a minor, (2) siblings of a minor, and (3) other persons, were granted, on the basis of exceptional compelling, compassionate circumstances outside the Immigration Rules, a family reunion visa for reunion with a family member in the UK with refugee leave or humanitarian protection, in each year from 2011 to date; and from which countries those persons have come.

Lord Bates: Family reunion applications are considered within the scope of the Immigration Rules. Under these Rules, only pre-existing families are eligible for family reunion i.e. spouse, civil partner, unmarried/same sex partner and minor children who formed part of the family unit at the time the sponsor (the person granted protection in the UK) fled to seek asylum.Family reunion visas are available to help families that become fragmented. Family reunion is intended to allow family members who formed part of the family unit before the refugee fled their country of origin, to reunite in the UK.The number of Family reunion visas issued and the country of application from 2011 to date can be found in the table below. It is not possible to break down the data to the applicant’s relationship with the individual that has already gained asylum in the UK.To note: ‘*’ appears where there are less than three applications.Applications issuedCountry of application20112012201320142015 (Jan-Jun)Albania***5-Algeria--*-5Bahrain*151055Bangladesh-1051010Belarus*5-5-Belgium-55-5Burma2025555Cameroon6040305515Canada***-*China2515202010Congo (Dem. Rep.)8055704515Cuba-*-5-Denmark-*5-5Egypt2050145135120Ethiopia68547545029585France5-5*-Gambia4040408050Georgia-55*-Germany*-5--Ghana1525253010Greece*55105India4530302515Iran19055*--Iraq--*3530Irish Republic*5---Israel5*1015-Italy5555*Ivory Coast---10*Jamaica5--*-Jordan20409538560Kazakhstan**---Kenya1601601058020Kuwait2525304040Lebanon10110280405260Libya**55*Morocco--*105Mozambique**---Namibia****-Nepal10-10155Netherlands**55-New Zealand*----Nigeria51010105No biometrics77559574063080Pakistan345305360525300Portugal--5--Qatar-*5*5Romania--5--Russian Federation55*10-Rwanda5555-Saudi Arabia510102540Senegal55555Sierra Leone351015205South Africa5525202510Sri Lanka305250305220105Sudan215380360355230Sweden-55**Switzerland--5-*Syria2351055--Tanzania15510105Trinidad and Tobago---*5Tunisia55-*-Turkey55215330550215Uganda8513522519545Ukraine*5**-United Arab Emirates251001207570United States*-555Uzbekistan1055*-Vietnam5--5*Zambia10*-10*Zimbabwe64026514511025Grand Total43053670412045401940

Asylum: North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 6 November (HL2882), whether they consider as South Korean citizens North Korean asylum seekers who do not express the intention to receive protection or citizenship from the Republic of Korea under the North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider North Korean citizens and refugees as South Korean citizens.

Lord Bates: The Constitution of Republic of Korea (South Korea) stipulates that all North Koreans are citizens of the Republic of Korea.As citizens of South Korea, North Korean asylum seekers are able to seek the protection of the South Korean authorities. A person who simply expresses an unwillingness to avail themselves of such protection would not bring them within the scope of the UN Refugee Convention.

Asylum: Iraq

Baroness Jolly: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Iraqi interpreters contracted by the armed forces during military operations between 2003 and 2009 have applied for asylum in the UK in each year from 2009 to 2015.

Baroness Jolly: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Iraqi interpreters contracted by the armed forces during military operations between 2003 and 2009 have been granted asylum in the UK in each year from 2009 to 2015.

Lord Bates: Information on the previous occupations of asylum applicants is not centrally recorded and is held in an individual’s paper case file or within the notes section of the case information database (CID). Such data are not aggregated in national reporting systems, which would mean this question could be answered only through a disproportionately expensive manual case search to collate the data.The Home Office publishes immigration statistics annually and quarterly, which are available from the Home Office research and statistics website.This includes information on asylum applications by nationality. The latest statistics can be found in asylum volume 1, data table as_01 at the following link : https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2015-data-tables



Copy - Immigration Stats - April to June 2015 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 2.83 MB)

Visas: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the decision was taken not to grant entry to Britain to a group of medical experts from Gaza and a psychologist from Bethlehem who had been invited to contribute to a conference at Kingston University.

Lord Bates: In order to safeguard an individual’s personal information and comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, the Home Office is limited in what information it can provide when the request is made by someone who is not the applicant. The Home Office is therefore unable to provide the information requested.All applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with the Immigration Rules.

Counter-terrorism

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the work conducted in 2009 on counter-terrorism protective security in crowded places has been carried forward, and whether there is an established doctrine or policy for ensuring the safety of such places.

Lord Bates: The Government put in place a programme under CONTEST, the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, to improve protective security and preparedness at a range of sites by ensuring businesses have access to high quality protective security advice, including through police specialist Counter Terrorism Security Advisors (CTSAs) who operate across the whole of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. In 2014 the programme was refreshed with an enhanced site assessment process and an improved partnership approach with business.CTSAs are engaged at sites across the country to give protective security advice, to train staff in Counter Terrorism awareness, and to encourage managers to develop response plans to a range of threats. CTSA advice is based on a range of protective security improvement and preparedness measures, and is designed to be appropriate and proportionate and wherever possible cost-effective. The National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) has also published on its website protective security advice and guidance for owners and operators of different types of businesses to identify key risks and consider what steps they should take.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the report Four Nations – How Evidence-based are Alcohol Policies and Programmes Across the UK? published in November by the Alliance for Useful Evidence, and if so, what lessons they have drawn for their own plans to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Lord Bates: We have noted the report. It misrepresents the Government’s position on minimum unit pricing and health as a licensing objective. Minimum unit pricing will remain under review whilst we monitor carefully the legal developments and the implementation of this policy in Scotland. We have consulted on health as a licensing objective and will continue to look at its feasibility.Our assessment of alcohol-related harm is that it costs society over £21 billion per year. To address this we will build on the 2012 Alcohol Strategy to tackle alcohol as a driver of crime and support people to stay healthy, while working with partners at a local and national level to reduce the impact of alcohol misuse.

Slavery: Prosecutions

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about the number of persons brought to justice for trafficking in persons, enslavement, forced prostitution, labour exploitation, and other similar crimes in the last three years, both in the UK and in other jurisdictions.

Lord Bates: The number of perpetrators of ‘slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour’, ‘human trafficking for sexual exploitation’ and ‘human trafficking for non-sexual exploitation’ found guilty and sentenced in each of the last three years is available at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014The ‘Outcomes by Offence Tables’ should be selected, and can be filtered for each of the three offences listed above. The UK Government does not hold information on the numbers brought to justice in other jurisdictions.



Copy - Outcomes of Offence Tables 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 499.44 KB)




Criminal Justice System Stats - Quarterly: Dec 14 
(PDF Document, 974.99 KB)

Undocumented Migrants: Finance

Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the responses to their consultation on reforming support for failed asylum seekers and other illegal migrants.

Lord Bates: We will not publish the individual responses to the consultation on reforming support for failed asylum seekers and other illegal migrants. This is consistent with the confidentiality statement on page 12 of the consultation document published on 4 August.

Interpol

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to Interpol about providing better safeguards before approving Red Notices, in particular by protecting its database, being transparent about the criteria for such notices, and identifying governments that abuse the system.

Lord Bates: A senior representative from the National Crime Agency sits on the Interpol Management Board and has raised this issue with the Interpol President and Secretary General, and a Working Group has been set up by Interpol to examine the matter.

Police National Computer

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why and when the Middlesbrough Borough Council was given access to the Police National Computer; whether it still has such access; and whether they will consider giving such access to other local authorities if requested to do so.

Lord Bates: Middlesbrough Borough Council does not have, and never have had, direct access to the Police National Computer. If an application is made by a Local Authority, and ACRO (the NPCC Criminal Records Office) is satisfied that they have a lawful and justifiable reason for needing access to PNC data, ACRO will conduct PNC enquiries on behalf of that authority.

Refugees: Syria

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 9 November (HL3457), what specific steps they are taking to help Syrian refugees in the "Jungle" camp at Calais who wish to claim asylum in the UK.

Lord Bates: Migrants in Calais in need of protection, including Syrians, should claim asylum in France. Other than in very limited circumstances under the Dublin Regulation, where a migrant who has lodged an asylum application in another Member State has close family ties to the UK, the UK has no responsibility to help refugees who are in other EU Member States to come here to claim asylum. Consequently, there is no provision in the Immigration Rules for them to do so. However, Border Force officers and representatives from the French Government carry out regular joint communications visits to the camps, informing all nationalities of migrants of their options to seek support, including claiming asylum, in France.The UK Government is spending £1.1 billion in and around Syria on humanitarian aid, caring for refugees and helping the Governments of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey to cope with the huge numbers of refugees they have received. After the United States, Britain is the biggest donor country in the region. The Government has also expanded the Syrian Resettlement Scheme. This scheme is helping the most vulnerable people in the region by offering them protection in the UK. The Government intends to resettle 20,000 Syrians in need of protection during this Parliament.

HM Treasury

Home Office: Freedom of Information

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they have refused to answer freedom of information requests from The Guardian in relation to non-UK migrant families.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Guardian has received responses to their requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

Living Wage: National Insurance Contributions

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the additional national insurance contributions that will be made in the first year of the introduction of the National Living Wage; and what assessment they have made of whether that source of revenue could be used to fund the extra cost of publicly-funded social care.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: As set out in Table B.3 in of their July 2015 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the Office for Budgetary Responsibility estimate that, by 2020-21, the National Living Wage will increase income tax and NICs receipts by around £0.1bn. They assume that, by 2020-21, the overall impact of the policy on the public finances is to reduce public sector net borrowing by £0.2bn.The Chancellor will set out full plans for public expenditure at the Spending Review on 25th November.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Nuclear Power Stations: Radiation

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of research on the links between the risk of cancer and radiation spikes during the refuelling of nuclear power plants, whether nuclear power plants are currently required to report hourly or half-hourly radioactive emissions, and if not, whether they plan to require nuclear power plants to collect and publish hourly or half-hourly radioactive emissions statistics.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of research on the links between the risk of cancer and radiation spikes during the refuelling of nuclear power plants, whether they plan to publish statistics on spikes in radioactive emissions from nuclear power plants in the UK.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Radioactive discharges from nuclear power plants are subject to permitting by the UK and devolved environmental agencies. Permitted discharge and notification levels are set out in individual site permits. These limits are set well within the levels required to comply with the public radiation dose constraints that have been set out in UK and devolved legislation in line with international standards.The environmental and food standards agencies jointly monitor actual levels of radioactivity in the environment and report annually in Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE). The results of this programme indicate that discharge levels from nuclear plants are well within the permitted limits.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 3 November (HL3059) concerning the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station project, what alternatives to the contract with EDF and China were explored, and with what results.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: When the then Government first asked for expressions of interest in Final Investment Decisions (FID) enabling, EDF was the only nuclear developer to come forward, so it was appropriate to enter bilateral negotiations with EDF on this project. This Government continues to explore many different options for providing secure, affordable and clean electricity, making use of different technologies and commercial developers, including nuclear developers. The UK requires reliable, safe, base load electricity from new nuclear, and other low carbon generation sources, and price is one consideration amongst a number for achieving this.

Energy: Meters

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 18 November (WS305), whether the assertion that every home and small business will get smart meters means that it will be compulsory to have them installed.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Government has placed an obligation on energy companies to take all reasonable steps to install smart meters at all domestic and smaller non-domestic premises by the end of 2020. However, there is no obligation on customers to accept a smart meter if they do not wish to have one installed.